House’s stance ‘schizophrenic’ on lawsuit, border kids

Face-saving votes were meaningless

Published: Saturday, Aug. 9, 2014 1:15 a.m. CST

By Journal Star Editorial Board
Peoria

On occasion in this space, we have invoked the word “schizophrenic” – defined in the dictionary as “a state characterized by the coexistence of contradictory or incompatible elements” – to describe the behavior of politicians who make a lot of decisions for the rest of us. It applied perfectly last week to the Republican members of the U.S. House.

On Wednesday the House voted to give Speaker John Boehner the authority to sue President Obama for allegedly not carrying out the nation’s laws as intended by Congress specifically regarding the Affordable Care Act, though Americans have pretty much gotten the message by now that Republicans consider the president a tyrant across the board.

Then on Thursday, the House Republican leadership backed off an immigration bill to address what they themselves have labeled a humanitarian “crisis” regarding the waves of Central American children coming across the nation’s southern border, suggesting that’s the president’s job, not theirs.

Really, it’s OK for Obama to act like a king and violate the law on Thursday, but it wasn’t on Wednesday? Boehner & Co. see no inconsistency there?

Alas, embarrassed by their own impotence and evidently concerned about encouraging the impression that this is both the laziest and most hypocritical House of the modern era, on Friday GOP leaders brought members back from the airport and from beginning the 5-week August recess to vote on two bills.

Of course, the GOP’s attempt at saving face was meaningless, as the U.S. Senate had already left town. How convenient.

Schizophrenic, or just too cute by half? It’s not a compliment, either way.